Stakeholders plead with the government to broaden road safety strategy.

Australian road toll reaches five year high

Australia's peak road safety organisations have called on Federal and state governments to broaden their road safety strategies in the wake of figures which reveal a damning increase in road deaths.

Official figures released this month reveal the national road toll has reached a five-year high despite added police enforcement and an unprecedented focus on speeding. A Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development report said that 1269 people died on Australian roads in the 12 months to June 30, 2016. That's the highest figures since 1276 people died in the same period in 2012.

Of most note, the NSW road toll increased 28.3 per cent on 2015, to 390. Tasmania recorded a 24.2 per cent increase, to 41 deaths, the Victoria road toll grew 7.1 per cent to 272 deaths, Northern Territory 7.3 per cent to 44 deaths and the ACT went up 9.1 per cent to 12 deaths.

Speed is still considered the major contributor to road deaths, along with fatigue, not wearing a seatbelt, distraction and alcohol and drug use. Interestingly, road deaths in speed zones rated at between 70km/h and 90km/h accounted for the biggest rise in fatalities, climbing 22.4 per cent to 268 people.

The increase in deaths coincides with a lack of federal leadership in road safety, stakeholders say. The Australian Automobile Association (AAA), Australian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) and the Australasian College of Road Safety (ACRS) have joined forces - calling on the Federal government to appoint a specialised Road Safety minister.

"The trend line is still going down but you look at the last quarter of 2014 it's going in the wrong direction," a spokesman for the AAA told Drive.

"We had a road safety minister until the end of 2013, and it is easy to see that road deaths were on a downward trend until that point.

"Since then, road deaths have been going up. A dedicated road safety minister would look at why the figures have stopped their downward trend and consistently moved upward. That's real people dying on our roads.

"We need to take a good long, hard look at why and work with the states to bring some leadership to this space."

The increase in road deaths brings to question whether the speed kills message is working across different jurisdictions. Stakeholders say the strong focus on speeding isn't the sole cause of road deaths.

"Australia's National Road Safety Strategy, signed by all Australian governments aims to reduce the number of road deaths and trauma by 30 per cent between 2010 and 2020," AAA chief executive Michael Bradley said.

"Clearly we are heading in the wrong direction and there is the need for the Federal Government to lead in the development of policies to deliver safer drivers, safer cars, and safer roads."

Lauchlan McIntosh, the president of the Australasian College of Road Safety, said having an accountable minister would help deliver more in the way of road safety.

"Aside from the very personal impact road trauma has on families and first responders, it is estimated to cost the national economy more than $27 billion per year," Mr McIntosh said.

"This is a national social and economic crisis which requires a cooperative effort from all governments under strong national leadership."

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare says land transport crashes are the number one killer for children up to 14 years, the second biggest killer of those aged 15 to 24 and the third biggest killer of 25 to 44-year-olds.

Cyclists were among the most vulnerable road users according to figures, with deaths rising 16.7 per cent to 35 people. Some 228 motorcyclists died on our roads, 14.6 per cent higher than the previous 12 months, while car drivers ranked as the largest contributor, growing 13.5 per cent to 612 people. Car passenger deaths accounted for a considerable percentage of the road toll, falling 8.9 per cent to 224.